FORT LAUDERDALE- Looking at how last year played out throughout the country, Chaminade Madonna versus St. John Bosco was a dream high school football matchup.

It ended up living up to the billing, despite not having the likes of players like Jeremiah Smith, Cedrick Bailey and Caleb Sanchez.

In a game that had over 35-plus penalty flags thrown and 30-plus players go down due to cramps, St. John Bosco was able to pull off a 34-27 win over Chaminade Madonna. Braves entered the contest nationally ranked No. 3 and the Lions No. 7, respectively.

Both offenses started slow right out of the gates, as each team featured a new starter under center. There’s been a quarterback battle between Tyler Chance and Zac Katz at Chaminade Madonna, with the former getting the nod with the start.

The Lions weren’t able to generate much on their first couple possessions, which included a muffed snap and negative plays.

For the Braves, they rolled out junior Matai Fuiava and the signal caller looked comfortable early on. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound signal caller led St. John Bosco right down the field midway through the opening quarter, ending in a Fuiava to Carson Clark 6-yard touchdown.

Though the passing game couldn’t materialize in the opening couple of series for Chaminade Madonna, the run game became the face of the Lions’ offense. Dameon Jones incorporated rnning backs Derek Cooper, Arwin Jackson and even Penn State commitment running the ball to get a spark.

Chaminade Madonna got on the board early in the second quarter when Miami Norland transfer Noah Sidan knocked down a 26-yard field goal. After the field goal make is when the Lions’ offense begin to pickup the tempo.

After a St. John Bosco punt, Jones opted to go no-huddle versus a more methodical, huddling up approach that the Lions went with in the first two series. It paid off as Chance would find his rhythm in the passing game, driving the team down the field, ending in a 37-yard touchdown to Jansen Lopez (True North Classical transfer).

The contest became a back-and-forth affair as the Braves answered right back with a score of their own. It would be Fuiava (22-of-37, 260 yards) calling his own number, scoring from 11 yards out to give Bosco a 13-10 advantage.

Another fast paced series for the Lions got them on the board once more via a Chance to Howard 15-yard touchdown, giving Chaminade Madonna back the lead at 17-13. Bosco would go into halftime with a 20-17 lead after Fuiava found an open Daniel Odom on a 8-yard strike.

The Lions regained the lead when Chance hit Denairius Gray (Auburn commit) on a 12-yard touchdown pass.

Maliq Blackwell-Allen (11 carries,128 yards) gave St. John Bosco the lead with 4:39 left when the running back busted loose on a 71-yard touchdown run. With the Braves up 34-27, they pinned their ears back on putting pressure on Chance in the final minutes.

Chance finished the night completing 24-of-38 passes for 246 yards and three touchdowns. The Lions rushed for 181 yards as a team, with Derek Cooper going for 76 on 16 carries.

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— Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sblivefl